Ivy: Daughter of Alice

by J. A. Armitage

  Tension knotted my shoulders, and I wished I’d had the chance to speak to Alice before the meeting. While I was confident that she had done no such deal with the Queen of Hearts, it reminded me of Raven’s conviction that the Queen would return.

  The woman in front of me moved, and the feathers obscured my vision again. I shifted sideways, too, accidentally stepping on the toes of the man next to me.

  “Sorry,” I whispered. Several people shushed me as Alice started talking again.

  “There are to be changes to The Forge and to the city of Melfall,” Alice continued, raising her voice over the whispers of the crowd.

  The muttering suddenly ceased. Absolute silence fell like a blanket over the crowd.

  “A few days ago, a group of people organized an event. I’m sure you have all heard of the Big Night Out—an event designed to call attention to the plight of those people who live in this city but have been ignored and forced into hiding because of the way they look.”

  “The people who attended the Big Night Out risked discrimination and arrest for being on the streets and in venues in flagrant disregard of the aesthetic laws of The Forge.”

  Alice paused and looked around. Many of the people who had been at the Big Night Out were also here in the crowd. I recognized many faces, including Mr. Thackery and his wife, who were now looking at Alice with a mixture of fear and hope on their faces. Alice’s next words could change their lives or condemn them.

  “If those people had not risked arrest to attend the Big Night Out, the Hearts would have outnumbered us. Without them, the Hearts would have controlled our streets. Our city would have fallen to those heartless beings. Of that, I am sure. Whoever controls the Hearts would be standing in front of you now.”

  “Instead, the people of this city—young and old, rich and poor, beautiful and,” Alice paused. “less beautiful, humans and vampires—we stood together and fought together, to defeat the Hearts and to drive them from Melfall.”

  The crowd burst into chatter and applause. A small smile tugged at my lips.

  “Since the attack, I have watched the citizens of this city rally together—to help the injured, to keep business running while the owners cannot work, to find supplies, to source hospital beds for the injured, to find housing for those without it. All of the citizens of Melfall have worked together—no matter their background, appearance, or income—for the recovery of and betterment of our great city.”

  “I stand before you to thank you all for your contributions to the life of our city at this time.”

  People broke into applause, looking around to grin at each other. I could see the pleasure on their faces and the pride that they felt at being part of it. I found myself smiling and clapping along with them. Not because of my part in it, so much, but because I was proud of the people. Yes, I had a hand in getting some of them out of the tunnels and into the streets of Melfall, but the way the people had put their differences aside and fought alongside each other—they had saved themselves, and they deserved to revel in their success.

  Alice was smiling too, as she looked around at the crowd. Then she glanced over her shoulder at Wit, who nodded his head once in encouragement. Then Alice turned her attention back to the crowd and held up her hands for silence again.

  “Our city cannot go back to the way it was before the attack. We cannot go back to the differences that drove division between us. We cannot go back to the laws that rewarded some and punished others—not for their skills or labor or achievements, but for their appearances.”

  I held my breath, clasping my hands in front of my chest as I strained on tiptoes to see Alice.

  When she spoke again, her voice was sure and authoritative. “Henceforth, with immediate effect, the aesthetic laws will be repealed. Nobody will be able to refuse service or employment to anyone because of the way they look, nor will licenses to conduct business be refused or revoked for aesthetic reasons.”

  A selection of the crowd cheered. Others looked at each other, gobsmacked. A knot formed in my chest as Alice took a deep breath before she continued.

  “Furthermore, the aesthetic stipend will be discontinued.”

  At Alice’s words, the crowd erupted. There were a few cheers, but just as many people who were shouting. The faces around me ranged from shocked to angry to afraid. I heard snippets of the conversations around me.

  “…how am I supposed to support myself now?…”

  “…that’s alright for those with another livelihood, but it will force many into poverty…”

  “…about time people did more than just stare at mirrors all day…”

  “…I’ll be ruined…”

  “…my business relies on people receiving the stipend…”

  The knot in my chest tightened. I thought of Pearl, knowing she would take the news hard. I looked around, but if she was at the meeting, I didn’t see her. At the back of the room, I glimpsed Gaia, who was nodding and smiling. There was no way of moving through the crowd to get to her, certainly not while the people were so worked up. For a moment, I wondered whether the crowd would surge toward the front, taking power from Alice by force and crushing me in the process.

  Alice was holding up her hands again, trying to calm the crowd, but it was having little effect. She glanced back at Wit with a worried look on her face. Wit was frowning, too.

  The town crier stepped forward. He thumped his staff on the ground, though the sound was barely audible over the crowd. “Order, order!” he boomed.

  “Please, quiet now. Quiet, please,” Alice called out.

  “Order! This meeting will come to order!”

  “Let the President speak!” It was Raven’s voice that carried over the noise of the crowd. He stepped up to the side of the stage, emanating authority as he stared out over the crowd. From the whispers around me, many citizens knew the role he’d played helping people over the last few days. At his statement, the crowd quietened, though discontent still rippled around the hall.

  Alice gave Raven an appreciative look before she continued.

  “Thank you, fellow citizens, I know this is a big change. It is a bigger change for some of you than for others. I recognize this. It is for this reason that, while the aesthetic stipend will cease, the city will provide assistance to those who were receiving the stipend to learn new skills and to obtain employment.”

  “There will also be assistance and compensation to those who have lost their businesses due to the application of the aesthetic laws. Further assistance will be provided to those who have been living in the city tunnels to find new homes. As you have all come together to save this city, so this city will come together to make sure there is a place for all of you. Nobody will fall through the cracks. Nobody will be left behind. This, I promise you.”

  Alice let her words settle. There was silence now—but it was a thoughtful silence, rather than a silence of anticipation or of fear.

  The woman in front of me moved, and her hat now completely obscured my view. I looked around me, wondering whether there would be a protest about the loss of an income that was considered to be vital to many of the people present. I’d never anticipated how difficult it would be to take a payment from people who were used to it and believed they deserved it.

  Finally, after a long pause, Alice spoke again. “The Forge used to be a kingdom. Now it is a republic. I am not your queen. I am your president. I do not govern by divine right, but because you—the citizens of The Forge—have chosen me to lead you. So, I now declare the meeting open to those who would like to speak—either for or against the change of laws.”

  Alice stepped away from the podium and smiled at the crowd.

  My throat tightened, and I looked around again. The murmurs of discontent quietened, and people looked around at each other. At the side of the stage, Raven had stepped down to the ground and was now looking around at the people in the hall with his arms crossed.

  There was a long pause, and I wondered who would be t
he first person to speak. Alice stood on the stage, looking around.

  Nobody stepped forward.

  Alice visibly sighed with relief and was about to step up to the podium when I heard a series of footsteps clicking over the floorboards.

  I strained on my tiptoes to see who was there, but all I could see were bright pink feathers in front of my face.

  When the person spoke, though, I didn’t need to see. I could have identified that voice anywhere.

  “My name is Pearl Rowntree,” Pearl’s voice sounded small and unsure—something I’d never known Pearl to be. “Our President is my mother. I’m eighteen. I’ve never worked. I’ve always lived on the stipend. The decision of our President will take away my livelihood. Honestly, I don’t know what I will do without it.”

  My mouth went dry, and I saw a pained expression on Alice’s face. There was a murmur among the crowd as Pearl took a breath. Then, she continued: “A few days ago, if Mother had proposed the abolition of the aesthetic stipend, I would have spoken out against it. Now, I’m standing here to say, I think the President is right.”

  The crowd around me gasped, then chatter erupted. Towards the other side of the room, someone called for quiet so that we could continue to hear Pearl speak.

  “The other night, I was in the center of the dancing when the Hearts attacked. I thought I was going to die.”

  My throat constricted as I heard the waver in Pearl’s voice. “I would have died if it wasn’t for the brave actions of a woman—a stranger—but who I now know was a friend I hadn’t met yet. Her name is Mary Ann. She’s in the hospital, recovering from injuries that she sustained when she helped me fight off that Heart. Before that night, she lived in the tunnels with so many others who couldn’t show their faces on the streets. She might not be beautiful enough to receive the stipend, but she is truly the bravest person I have ever met.

  “So, the only thing to do now is what our President—my mother—says is right. She’s always right, and now is no exception.” Pearl cleared her throat. “That’s all.”

  I blinked tears from my eyes as I heard Pearl’s footsteps. I imagined her stepping down from the stage. Alice waited a few more moments, but nobody else spoke.

  Finally, Alice stepped back to the podium. “I know these are big changes for each of you and for our city. Please know, even if you have not stepped forward to speak now, my doors are open to you if you wish to petition me in the future. We will stand together—I do not intend to leave anyone behind.” Alice inclined her head. “Thank you all.”

  The crowd flowed out of the town hall like a dam that had burst. There was lots of chatter, and most of it was about Alice’s proclamation. I heard a few mutterings and musings about how things were going to work, but most people seemed to be curious rather than opposed. Alice’s promises not to leave anyone behind seemed to have mollified most of the initial concerns among those people who risked losing their income and livelihood.

  As soon as I stepped out onto the cobblestones of the avenue, I looked quickly around for Gaia. Raven, I knew, would have disappeared into the tunnels since the sun was still high in the sky, but Gaia should still be about. The crowd was too thick to find her, and I didn’t want to waste time looking when there was no guarantee that I would find her in amongst most of the population of Melfall.

  Besides, I’d promised Raven that I was going to find out how the Hearts worked, and disable them, to make sure they could not be used against the city again.

  I turned in the direction of the wall and walked briskly along the almost empty streets. Most of the shops and restaurants were closed, as their proprietors had been at the town meeting and hadn’t yet reopened. It wasn’t long until I was craning my neck to stare up at the stone ramparts of the perimeter wall.

  “Miss Rowntree?” Captain Walsh asked as I knocked on the door of the gatehouse.

  “I want to see the Hearts,” I said, without preamble.

  The captain frowned. “Again?”

  He hesitated, waiting for me to confirm my request, then sighed and started to lead me up the stone steps set into the wall. I put a hand on his arm to stop him, then I pointed to the gates, now firmly closed.

  “I want to go outside,” I said. “I need to see the Hearts up close.”

  Captain Walsh’s forehead furrowed as his frown deepened. He started shaking his head emphatically. “No, Miss Rowntree. I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

  “I understand the Hearts are dangerous…,” I said, eager to forestall his arguments and change his mind.

  “You do not understand, Miss Rowntree,” Captain Walsh said. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I cannot comply with your request.”

  “I understand you want to protect me. You are one of the brave guards of our city,” I continued, clasping my hands in front of me as though in prayer.

  “It is not possible,” he replied with a firm shake of his head.

  I held up a finger. “Anything is possible if you’re willing to give it a try.”

  “It is not, miss.” Captain Walsh repeated, his voice rising a notch. “You don’t understand—”

  “No, sir,” I interrupted. “It is you who doesn’t understand. All I want is to examine the Hearts. I want to see how they work, to disarm them so that they can’t threaten us anymore.”

  Captain Walsh sighed and rubbed at his forehead. “It is not a matter of will, Miss Rowntree. It’s not that I am refusing to open the gates. I simply can’t do it. The president has the only key. Our city is on lockdown until she orders otherwise.”

  “Oh,” I stared at him for a moment, then looked down at my hands, feeling foolish.

  “So, you see, no matter how good your reasons are for needing to leave the city, or examine those dreadful Hearts, I’m afraid I cannot comply with your request.”

  I sighed, then a thought struck me. “What if the president orders you to open the gates?”

  “As long as the president’s orders coincide with her giving me the key to open the gates,” Captain Walsh gave me a small smile. “Then, I’d be happy to comply. Well… happy might be the wrong word, but I would follow my president’s orders.” He gave me a small bow in what seemed to be a sort of apology. “I’m sorry I can’t help you on this occasion, Miss Rowntree. Still, we can all feel a little safer that nobody but the president can open the gates. I have faith that she will do no such thing until we can eliminate the menace of the Hearts forever. Those Hearts will stay out there, and we’ll stay in here. Safe.”

  I nodded, wondering how we would ever know the Hearts were no longer a threat if we couldn’t study them. I took my leave of Captain Walsh, and, lifting my skirts, I trudged slowly up the stone steps to the top of the wall. A cool breeze ruffled my hair as I stepped out onto the walk. I touched the rough stone, leaning over the edge to look down on the Hearts.

  At first glance, it seemed as though nothing had changed. The Hearts stood completely still. The wind rustled the tips of the long grass that grew around their feet, but the Hearts were unmoved.

  I tapped my fingers on the stone of the battlements, staring at them, as my thoughts turning instinctively to the puzzle of these Hearts. There were lots of them standing at attention outside the walls. Hundreds of them.

  The puzzle still gnawed at me. I couldn’t believe that the Hearts had voluntarily marched out of the city to die.

  I sighed again, leaning my elbows on the battlements to prop my chin on my hands. I would find no answers up here. There was nothing for it.

  I’d have to speak to Alice.

  The shadows were long by the time I made my way home from my visit to the perimeter wall. The fastest way was directly across the circular marketplace of the city center, past the Pinnacle, and under the glare of the ever-watching clock. As I approached the site of the attack, I hesitated, debating taking the longer way around.

  The city center was empty—it had been since the night of the attack. It used to be a place where people milled and mingled.
Now, most people avoided this place, and anyone who walked through here did so with their eyes focused straight ahead—as though they were afraid of seeing the blood that still stained the cobblestones.

  I gritted my teeth, telling myself that there were no ghosts here, only memories. I forced myself to keep walking. To take the quickest way home. If I was lucky, Alice would be able to see me right away, and I’d have the key to the gates in my hand by morning.

  I glanced up at the Pinnacle clock as I strode across the center of the city. I hadn’t really intended to look at it, but something caught my eye. I looked up at it again, slowing down until I came to a complete stop.

  Something was different about the clock tower. I frowned up at it. What had changed?

  I slowly circled the Pinnacle, craning my neck to see. The play of late afternoon light and shadows made it difficult to see clearly, but the clock tower seemed…less intricate somehow. As though someone had removed the gears and inner workings of the clock.

  It was still ticking, though—I could hear it clearly.

  I put a hand over my eyes to shade from the glare of the late afternoon sun and stared up again. Perhaps the workmen had started working on it once more. But no—the ladder and scaffolding from the bottom level of the clock were still damaged from where people had torn them apart to use the wood as weapons against the Hearts. The workers would have had to fix the scaffolding and the ladder before they could climb up to the upper levels to work on the clock.

  I stared, taking a few steps back to get a better look. I stepped into a shadow, where the light wasn’t shining straight into my eyes. Within moments, the light dimmed quickly as the sun dipped underneath the horizon. The glare suddenly disappeared.